'Spur' of The Moment Cod Trip

A very last minute decision Yesterday had me swapping a planned day of Christmas shopping to another crack at the cod today! Dan had extended an invite out with Alan aboard his boat Myan from Bembridge for the day. Conditions had not looked good all week but in the bigger boat it was certainly manageable and with the only likely looking weather window over the next few days I couldn't pass it up!
We slipped the mooring in Bembridge Harbour around 7:30am and we were soon making our way out of the entrance and past the ledge buoy. Another 30 minutes later and we were sitting at anchor in the last of the ebb tide with a brisk northerly force 4 chilling the air.
I had prepared a dozen or so big squid and cuttle sausages on the way out and had the first line in the water. It drew in instant attention from dogfish, as did the second rod that went out uptide and after half a dozen of these we had lost the ebb tide. Alan commented that the mark we were fishing was a 'flood tide' mark and he was optimistic of seeing a few fish with the first of the run.
The boat took it's time swinging round for the flood with the strong wind and relatively small tide today but eventually a trickle started to come through and with it - the fish. The first 'cod impressionist' came in the form of a well marked thornback ray around 8lb....

As soon as she was returned I was into a big chunky eel on the other rod and through the coarse of the day the three of us shared around a dozen or so of the dam things from 15 to 30lb......interspersed with the inevitable dogfish!

A couple of hours into the flood I hooked a better fish. This one did feel very coddy but wasn't coming up deep at all and while the others were waiting for an eel to surface I wasn't so sure. Low and behold though - 20 ft behind the back of the boat, a big old cod head breached and came right out of the water before disappearing  back down and going deep in typical cod fashion! Alan had shot off like a whippet to seize the net and was ready for the fish by the time she came within reach. A big fatty this one that bounced the scales between 18.5 and 20.5lb.....I'll give it a conservative 19lb!

With a cod under the belt I was able to relax and enjoy the fishing that little bit more. The tide had really got away now and in 90ft of water with a fair amount of weed coming through the uptider had to come in for a bit. The fishing had slowed up apart from the odd eel and dog until all of a sudden I found myself connected to something better. Now I knew this couldn't be conger or a ray and I'll have to admit, was expecting to see another cod. Instead though, something unexpected and a little different......a Spurdog going 11lb!

I was fooled by another one on the re-deployed uptide gear an hour or so later and also added a smaller thornback ray to the days tally before it was time to head back. There were no other cod to be found over the remainder of the day but all in all a very enjoyable day. 

Thanks to Dan for the invite and to Alan for having me aboard......and to my good lady for understanding that fishing - does come first! ;-)